


On Raven's Wings

by TheOnlyDragon24



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dystopian society, Government is CRAP, SOH - Freeform, The monsters are really nice, The world is a barren wasteland, idk how to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:14:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28538655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOnlyDragon24/pseuds/TheOnlyDragon24
Summary: The world was never kind, as far as I remember. After the nuclear war, only a few thousand or so humans remained on earth, with most of the once-glorious planet as wastelands.This is the world I live in. But fleeing to the evil and fierce monsters suddenly seems like a better idea than staying in my village when the soldiers tell me of my less-than-fortunate fate.
Kudos: 6





	1. The Past is Never Pleasant

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [On A Wing, A Soul, and A Prayer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23298748) by [Tathartiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tathartiel/pseuds/Tathartiel). 



> Not sure how this will go, but I liked the idea, so I decided to write a bit!

War. The game that no one wins. No one has ever won in war.

Of course, there was no winning in this one. A nuclear war, filled with bombings, death, and utter destruction.

Twenty years. Who knew that humanity could be dwindled into the thousands in a mere twenty years? To the ones fighting, it seemed like the war went on for hundreds upon hundreds of years.

But people realized that there was too much of a chance at extinction, and that the world was a barren, dead place with little vegetation or animals. So, rebels formed a group that came to be known as the 'SOH', short for 'Saviors of Humanity'.

At first, the name held true. But as time went on, the SOH began abusing their power as the only 'government'. They trained people loyal to them to be soldiers, who kept everyone else in line. They decided your role for you from the moment you were born, and you had to train for that profession from the age of seven, barely a child.

Because of need to get the population back up, women from the age of fourteen or older were sent to breeding centers, like some sort of animal. If a girl refused, she was taken away and never seen again. It wasn't hard to guess what happened the them.

Food was scarce, meat even more so. Most of what made up meals for commoners was a thin slice of stale bread and a cup of warm water. Occasionally, the delicacy of a few lettuce leaves was thrown in. Farmers worked endlessly at the cracked and dry soil, turning up harvests that yielded little.

Humans were barely able to form a sort of order when the monsters emerged from a mountain. They were massive, and possessed great wings and wondrous magical abilities. It was clear that if there was a war with them, humanity was doomed.

But the monsters were willing to make a peaceful agreement. They were allowed the territory of what used to be the western side of America, and the islands they find, such as Hawaii.

Over the years, monsters became nothing more than a tale, but no one ever dared to go within ten miles of their land, from fear of death or worse.

So humans simply returned to building up their few new cities, most prominently Chachara, the 'capitol', where the members of the SOH lived.

So begins our story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shakes head sadly* History was always my least favorite class.


	2. Relocation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Characters! Plot! INTERACTION?!

Another day in my village. Great.

I woke up at the crack of dawn, as usual, on my rock-hard mattress, with my thin, holey, government-issued blanket covering me. I put on my self made skirt, short sleeve shirt, and slippers, all made from coarse grey fabric, I went out to the other room of my house to collect my daily breakfast ration of a thin slice of bread and a cup of oily water.

I then walked quickly and quietly down to my assigned work building, avoiding eye contact with the soldiers in the path, and got to work making the same two outfits again and again: The outfit I was wearing now, and the men's' outfit, which consisted of a shirt almost like mine, work boots, and long, slightly loose pants.

I had been chosen to be this village's tailor at birth, so that meant I had to hand make outfits for every one. At least it was better than being deemed useless at birth, and being assigned as a breeder, who's job is to sit there and get pregnant, and then give her baby away and do it again. I shuddered at the mere thought.

After nearly working the skin off of my brittle bones, a soldier called through the door to come and get my lunch. Hoping for plant matter, I shuffled over to him, avoiding eye contact, and held out my hands politely. He placed the bread in them, and when I glanced up, lo and behold, there was three whole lettuce leaves! Three! There must have been a lucky harvest today for everyone to get this much.

I quickly ate the dry bread, and then held my leaves delicately. I wanted to savor them, but I only got a five minute break before I had to get back to work. I had only made three outfits as it was, so I had to get back to work as soon as possible so as to not get sent to the breeding centers for being useless. So I quickly ate the plant matter, holding the flavor in my mouth for as long as possible as I picked up my needle and went back to sewing lumpy grey shirts.

After a day of sewing, I had made nine outfits, a new record for me, and I was too tired to function well. So I walked back to my shack and promptly fell asleep.

The next morning, I was awoken by a soldier at my doorway. He yelled "Town meeting! We're deciding new arrangements! Be there, or else..."

I knew what the 'or else' meant, so I got out of bed, clothes still on, and walked out to the village center. There was a higher-ranking soldier on the stage, dressed in the SOH's colors, dark purple and grey. He had a rare piece of paper in his hand, which he read off of once everyone was present.

"We are gathered to promote order and structure through the shifting of positions. In five days time, these changes will come into effect." He cleared his throat importantly. "Sand, you are being relocated to a neighboring town, as they do not have a blacksmith and this town has little need for one." He pointed at the burly man as he said it. "Secondly, a new farm is being built on the north side of the village. Two people, a man named Black and a woman named Stitch, will be moving into the home beside the farm to work in it.

"Now, onto the female relocations." Everyone knew that it meant 'these are the women who are getting sent to a breeding center'. Any girl of age fourteen and above could be sent there. All women just accepted it, knowing there was nowhere to run and that she was serving the SOH in a good way. They were wrong about the second part, the first I was not so sure about. "First, Carrot, as there is no more need of your printing skills, you are being relocated." The ginger woman, who was barely in her twenties, nodded solemnly. "Next, Gold, you have not been doing the minimum amount of work lately. You are being replaced with a man named Grain, and you will be relocated. Lastly," It seemed to be a heavy day for 'relocation', as most months only had one or two. "Dusty." I jolted at my name. What had I done? Why was I being sent away? "You have been doing much less work than usual, and are being replaced with a woman named Water. Thank you, that is all." He stepped off the podium and hopped onto his black and white splotched horse, before galloping away toward Chachara.

The next few hours were free hours, as there was always free time on Announcement Days after the meeting. But I didn't have any friends or anything, so I spent the time at home, wrapping what little I had in my blanket. I stuffed in my money, which amounted to about 3G, and my needle and thread, just in case. I needed to run away.

Other relocated women might just spend their remaining days preparing herself, but I was NOT going to be disrespected like that! I had never followed the SOH, seeing it for the tyrant that it is, but I had followed orders anyway. I didn't wat to die, what other choice was there? But now, I had been given the perfect chance to get away from this dilapidated _hell pit_.

That night, I snuck out of my shack. I scanned my surroundings for any soldiers around who might expose me with their lanterns. Then I sprinted toward the exit of the town.

Suddenly, I heard a shout from behind me, and I turned around to see who had seen me, but my stupidly long hair flapped in my face so that I couldn't see them. It was easy to assume it was a soldier though, and I pushed my hair out of my face and kept running. I ducked under the hole in the wall, wrapping my makeshift bag around my arm for easy carrying. After I had made it into the wild, I saw nothing but dead land all around. The land was cracked and dry, and I couldn't see any water anywhere.

But there were still soldiers coming for me, so I ran. I ran in the direction I thought was correct, and I never looked back, except to whisper "fuck you, soh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, but I didn't know how to start this. Also, I love comments! They make me feel worth it, so please, comment if you want.


	3. Stupid Freakin Hair...Also Monsters But That's Less Important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of 2021!
> 
> Mostly Dusty discovering nature-y stuffs.
> 
> Also, our mystery creature (I'm sure you know who he is) has sparrow wings.
> 
> Sparrows symbolize productivity, diligence, and creativity.

I was so scared.

Even if had become a breeder, I would have been able to eat and have drink.

But out here in the barren wasteland that was once called Earth, I had nothing. The only thing to do now was to hope I got to my destination before I starved and to hope for rain. _Even then, the water is contaminated_.

So I kept walking. I knew that I was walking the correct way, but I didn't know how _far_ I needed to go.

So I kept walking...and walking...and walking...until my legs were ready to fall off. But I just had to keep going...!

I collapsed, throat parched, stomach empty, and eyes drooping. I was so tired...

...

No! I had to keep going! I needed to escape the SOH! And there was only one place that they wouldn't search for me if they did at all...I was just another breeder. They could do with one less.

If they wouldn't search for me, then I could just lie down here and rest, right? _I can't take that risk_.

So I got back up onto my feet, and started walking again.

It wasn't long before I spotted something. _What is that_ _?_ It looked...green! I had found it!

With renewed energy, I took a dash for the only patch of color for miles around. I was saved!

I hesitated at the edge of the patch of...what are these? What if they're dangerous? I took a deep breath. I escaped from the SOH, a few big pole-things weren't going to stop me.

_But what about the creatures inside of the_ _pole-things?_ I suddenly thought. _Do the monsters live in here?_ _They must,_ I resolved. _Where else would they live?_

Wary, I set a foot down on the first bits of green stalks. They didn't seem to be dangerous, so I stepped with my other foot. At this point, there were only a few stalks brushing around my feet.

I took off my uncomfortable grey slippers, tossing them as far as I could into the wastelands. _Good riddance_. Turning back, I could feel the small things tickling around my ankles. Amazed, I crouched down to touch them. They were coming out of the ground, just like the lettuce I used to eat, but greener and thinner. _Is it edible_ _?_ I carefully grasped a single stalk, and tugged at it. All of a sudden, It broke, sending me onto my butt. Startled, I kneeled back in front of the things. I picked up the severed stalk, and looked it over. It was very flexible, and looked harmless.

So I ate it. It was...Sort of bland, and crunchy, but I didn't feel weird. So I deemed them edible. Immediately, I began gathering a pile of it, getting better and better at picking it as time went on.

After a bit, I had a small pile of the plant, which was the right size to fit comfortably in my hand. I ate every single scrap, not wasting even a bit, and felt a bit more full.

Getting up, I turned back to the big poles. They had the food-plant all around them, and other things too. I walked over to one of the odd structures, and gingerly touched it. It felt...rough and hard. looking up, I saw other poles coming out of it further up. Too far up to climb, though.

After inspecting it, I glanced around at all of the different things. There were a few puffy looking green things, laden with sparkling orb-things, there were long, twisty rope things wrapping around a few of the pole-things, and there were little dots of color on the ground in yellow and white. Kneeling down, I took a closer look at the color-things. The white ones had yellow middles, with thin white...sheets? patches? curling out. The yellow ones were more cup shaped, and had glossier patch-things forming the 'head'. I decided not to try eating one. I already had a stable source of food in the stalks, I didn't need to accidentally poison myself.

Moving over to the rope-things, I pulled a tendril off of a pole-thing, and inspected it. It was tough, yet thin. _Like, well, a rope._ I tucked a few bits into my blanket-bag, and moved on to the puff-things.

They were made up of little rods, with green patch-things at the ends. But there were also blue-purple orbs on some of the rods. I plucked an orb from the puff-thing and squeezed it. I squeezed it a bit too hard, though, and it burst into purple liquid and mush. After I wiped the liquid off of my face, I noticed that the inside of the orb was pale green with lines of faint red. _How is that possible? It was blue a second ago!_

I prodded at the mush, searching for the source of the sorcery. Then I noticed the blue lining had split. The outside must be blue, while the inside is green and red! It was fascinating how many colors there were in just this one orb. _Is this thing edible too?_ Curious, I licked my fingers of the mush.

It was so...so...it made my mouth tingle! But then it...it was...less tingly? I didn't know what these flavors were! This was new! And it tasted so good...

Abandoning the stalks as a food source, I instantly started plucking the orbs off of the puff-thing. The stalks may be plentiful, but they were not very filling, and bland. The orbs were great! And they were more filling!

After taking all of the orbs from that puff, I excitedly walked over to another puff. There were different orb-ish things on this one. They were bright, gleaming red, and were a cone shape. I went to pluck off one, but I got stabbed in the wrist! Pulling my hand back quickly, I glanced over the puff-thing. It had knives all over it! Well, small knives, but still! I licked my wound, cleaning it off with my saliva. Then I carefully parted the rods to take the cone. Triumphantly, I stuffed the cone into my mouth, letting the rods go. The cone burst in my mouth, giving it that same tingly feeling, but less, and also more of the not-tingle. I carefully pulled off a handful to eat while I explored deeper into the pole-things.

The stalks were soft under my feet, and there were patches of springy matter. It was...almost magical.

But, my exhaustion caught up to me. I stumbled over to a large patch of the spring-stuff and lay down, holding my pack on top of myself as to not crush the precious food within. I quickly blacked out, exhausted and beat.

...

When I woke up, I was at first confused by where I was. But then I remembered everything that had happened. A feeling of joy washed over me, the purest I had ever felt. I was free! Finally, free from humans!

But before I went further, there were some things to be done. I pulled out my needle, sticking it into my shirt, and tore my long skirt straight down the middle. It would be a hassle to try to navigate the pole-things with a skirt. I looked around for anything that I could use for thread, and my eyes settled upon my fraying shirt hem. I pulled off a lot of the thread making up my shirt from the bottom, and cut it. I now had a shirt that went down to my belly button and a thread that should be long enough to stitch together my former skirt.

After a little while, I was tying off my thread. I had made my skirt into a pair of rough pants, that flared a bit at the bottom and went down to about mid-calf. They weren't the most comfortable, but they were better than the skirt.

Second order of business: my stupid hair! It had never been cut beyond a uniform trim, just like every other woman's hair, so it went down to my knees. It was a pitch black waterfall, praised by nearly every man in my former village.

_It was so annoying_ _!_ I didn't want to be stuck with some man who only likes me for my _stupid hair_ , I wanted someone who liked me!

Also, it got in the way a lot. So I grabbed a thinner rope-thing, and coiled my hair up, tying it in place with the vine. _That's better_.

Just then, my stomach growled. So, I pulled a handful of the orbs from my pack and munched on them as I trekked deeper into the pole-things. It was getting darker and darker, and the pole-things were getting closer and closer together. Finally, I burst out into a little clearing.

Luckily, there was a little pond! I bent down to take a sip, expecting the lukewarm, oily substance that was in the rations. I was surprised when icy water grazed my lips, making me jump back a bit. Tentatively, I stuck a finger in. It was so cold!

But it felt so good. I set my pack down and stripped off my clothes, not wanting to get anything wet. And then I walked straight into the water.

I shivered as the skin on my feet met the chilly water, but It felt really nice. I cupped my hands, and dipped my hands in, to drink from the pond. The water was refreshing, and I gulped it down like there was no tomorrow.

After that, I jumped straight into the water, making a big splash. It was mesmerizing to watch the dirt and grime float away from me.

When I got out, I tied my hair back up and put back on my clothes. I felt much cleaner and more alive, in a sense, so I took to skipping through the forest.

Bad move.

As I was skipping along, listening to the little noises up above, something hooked around my ankle. I stumbled and screamed in pain. I ended up sprawled out in the dirt and stalks, crying. I reached down for my throbbing foot, shuddering from my sobs, and drew it slowly toward me. The slightest touch sent waves of pain through my ankle and foot, so I had to be really careful with moving it.

When I got a good look at it, it was red and swelling, and there were cuts crisscrossing my skin. I tried to flex it, but that just made my cry out in agony again. Clearly, I was not going to be able to walk for a bit. I wasn't sure how long it would take to heal.

Just then, I heard the rush of air above, and I saw a big shadow above me. My eyes widened and I tried scooting into the shadows to hide, which only resulted in me whimpering loudly from the white-hot pain shooting up my leg.

The thing landed, giving me a better look of it. It had these weird white rod things making up its body, and two big brown limb-things were attached to its back. It had a round white chest, a round blue lower body, red lower arms, and an orange...membrane? piece of fabric? around its neck. I couldn't tell which. It had red and black lower legs, and odd feet with knife-like things instead of toes.

I didn't want to meet its eyes. What if it was a sign of aggression?

All of a sudden, it started making odd noises and waving its...hands? toward me. I scooted back in fear, not knowing if the creature would attack me. I swallowed dryly, all moisture from the water earlier gone. "please..." I coughed. My voice was rough and quiet out of disuse. "don't kill me."

It knelt down, and touched my injured ankle. _It knows I'm weak! It's going for the kill!_ I tried to back up more, but I was backed against a pole-thing. I felt tears coming to my eyes in fear.

Its noises took on a softer tone, and I felt more calm. It lifted up my ankle and set it into its lap. It hovered its hands above the limb. A light green glow came out of its hands, and I wanted to snatch my ankle back, but resolved against it.

After a minute or two, the pain was gone, and he...he? yeah, he. retracted his hands. I pulled it away, and stood up, testing it. There were still pricks of pain, but it was better.

I looked up at his face, to thank him. I was met by the sight of smooth whiteness. He had two holes for eyes, and a long face.

"er, thank you, sir?" He tilted his head to the side like he didn't understand. "oh. we must speak different languages." I tapped my chin. "are you a monster?" I pointed at him, hoping he would realize what I was asking.

A bright smile crossed his face, and he unfurled his wings. They were brown with black spots. Frankly, quite beautiful, but I didn't get the time to admire them before he scooped me up into his arms and shot up into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you like my character of Dusty? I decided to put a language barrier because of a revolutionary mindset called:
> 
> "Screw you, I'm the author and I do whatever the heck I want!" *sparkles and confetti*


	4. In Which I Cannot Understand Anything Anyone Says

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope It's interesting! I'm really enjoying writing out these interesting interactions.
> 
> Sans has raven wings.
> 
> Ravens symbolize wisdom, affection, and death.

Shooting straight up into the sky, the monster kept a tight grip on me. It might have been exciting, if it wasn't for the fact that he was a stranger _and_ I couldn't understand a word he said.

Being up in the air was absolutely terrifying. Having no ground beneath my feet was very unsettling, and it felt like I was constantly falling.

"um, excuse me, mister monster sir, could you put me down?" I had curled up and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to not have to look at the ground flying past below me.

He just made more of the odd noises, and kept flying, so I resorted to more physical means of communication. I tapped gently on his arm, which was really hard, and once I thought he was looking, I pointed to myself and then down to the ground.

The monster seemed to get what I was trying to say, but made a sad noise and kept flying.

I opened my eyes experimentally.

Big mistake.

We were even higher above the ground, and I didn't like the idea of the monster loosing his grip on me. It was too much for me.

I fainted.

\---

Papyrus had never seen a human in his whole life.

Just like the in the tales Sans told him, this human had smooth peach skin, flat, weird feet, and no wings to be seen. They had black hair, just like Sans's feathers, and they had on rough grey clothes, badly made and uncomfortable-looking. Papyrus couldn't tell their gender; he didn't know what separated males and females.

But more importantly, they were hurt. When Papyrus flew down to heal them, a look of fear washed over them, and they scooted away, drawing out more pained whimpers.

"HELLO, HUMAN! DO NOT BE AFRAID! I WILL HEAL YOU!" Papyrus said, gesturing with his hands toward their ankle. They wouldn't look at him.

Then they made sounds. They were quiet, and rough like their clothes. But Papyrus couldn't understand them. Maybe they were like animals, in that they didn't speak Monster?

Papyrus knelt down to heal their foot, and they backed away more. But he persevered, and managed to get their ankle into his lap. "Do Not Worry, Human. I Am Healing You."

He channeled his magic to heal it, almost breaking concentration when they flinched, but managed to heal the human as best as he could.

They stood up, finally looking at Papyrus. They had striking golden eyes, shimmering with thanks. They made more noises, and then their face became contemplative. Finally, they pointed at Papyrus and said something. It popped up at the end, indicating a question.

Papyrus assumed they were asking about his wings, and gladly unfurled them for the human to admire. Then he got a better idea. He should take them on a flight!

He scooped up the little human in his arms, shooting up out of the trees for them to admire the forest from above, and so that he could take them to his and Sans's home.

But a little bit into the flight, they made some sounds. He assumed they were thanking him, so he kept flying. But then, they tapped his arm, and he looked down to see their eyes screwed shut. He was sad, but then saw them point to themselves, and then to the forest below.

Oh no! They must be afraid. "I'M SORRY, LITTLE HUMAN, BUT I NEED TO TAKE YOU TO SANS." Papyrus said apologetically.

All of a sudden, he felt them go limp in his arms. Looking down, he saw that the human had passed out. They must have fainted out of fear.

Luckily, he was getting close to his house, so they did not have to be in the air for much longer.

\---

...What?

Where am I?

I try to remember what happened. I remember...

The monster! And flying...and...fainting.

Oh no! Where am I?

I look around. I am in...a house? The walls are a creamy color, and the floor is a dark material. I am on top of some sort of squishy platform, in the corner of the room. This must be the monster's sleeping room!

I panicked for a bit. What did he want to do to me? Was I going to serve the purpose of 'breeder' after all?

I jumped off of the platform, stumbling for a second on the oddly smooth floor. I looked around for the exit, finding nothing but a slab of the same dark material as the floor. It had an odd, round, golden thing sticking out of one side.

I prodded at the orb, inspecting it. Then I grabbed it, and pulled. Nothing happened so I kept experimenting, trying to make it out before the monster noticed I was awake.

Finally, I figured out that I needed to turn it, and then pull, to get it open. Expecting an eating area, I rushed through the door in what I hoped was a silent manner.

But I was met with a long room. It had several more of the odd exit things, and had a bright lantern-like thing shining overhead. Not wanting to tussle with the exit-things again, I ran down the long room, looking for the exit.

After navigating the mansion, I finally found the exit to outside. But because luck was not with me, the second I opened the door, I heard sounds from behind me.

The sounds were deeper that the monster that had healed me, and seemed quieter. I slowly turned around, expecting to be dragged back to the sleeping room to be bred. But I was just met with the sight of another monster, made of the same white rods and grinning widely, leaning against the wall lazily. He had a black over-shirt on, with a blue shirt underneath. The over-shirt had something fluffy and black in the overly-large neck. He had short black pants, and had grey, heel-less shoes on, knife-things coming out of the end. He also had an odd orange glasses-like thing on his head. His eyes were much larger than the other monster's, and had white dots flitting around in them.

But what was really striking was his wings. They looked like a starless night sky, pitch-black and glossy. They were large, even folded up.

Now I was even more scared. Was _this_ one going to breed me? For some reason, I'd rather be bred by the first monster than by this one.

He stepped toward me, and it was at that moment that I made my decision.

I ran. I immediately turned and fled out the exit, not wanting to have to carry these monsters' children. I was planning on running straight into the pole-things and hiding, but that plan was immediately ended when the black-winged monster appeared in front of me. _I really need names for them._

He held his arms out to the sides, blocking me from going any further. He was looking at me, but I couldn't glean any emotions from his smooth, round face.

I slid to a stop, avoiding crashing into him, and glanced around for an escape route. Realizing that running would do me no good, I gave up. I hung my head obediently, waiting for the monster to bring me back to the sleeping room to breed me.

\---

Sans observed the black-haired human that was wandering through the house. He was trailing close behind, never letting them see him, but always watching.

Eventually, they found the front door. Sans decided that now was as good a time as any to reveal himself.

"hey, kid. where you goin'?" He drawled, leaning against the wall.

The human turned around, scanning him. Their stunning golden eyes flicked repeatedly to his wings, before they looked directly at Sans. All of a sudden, a look of fear crossed them.

Not wanting to seem scary, Sans stepped forward to comfort them. But they dashed out the door, heading toward the forest. Sans didn't want any of the other monsters to find the human, so he shortcutted in front of them to stop them.

Skidding to a halt, their eyes darted around, presumably looking for an escape.

But then, a look of pure hopelessness came onto their face. They hung their head, standing in front of Sans, like they were waiting for something.

"kid, it's alright. do you want some breakfast?" Sans reached out and put his hand on their shoulder to lead them back inside for breakfast.

They flinched at first, but followed Sans obediently, not saying anything. Sans led them to the dining room, motioning for them to sit down. "i need to go grab some grub, sit down for a sec." They looked confused, but sat down.

Sans walked away into the kitchen. Papyrus had made eggs and bacon for breakfast that morning, and had left a plate out for the human once they woke up. He grabbed the plate, and brought it out to the human.

\---

Head lowered in submission, I waited for the monster to grab me and pull me away to breed me. To my surprise, he set a gentle hand on my shoulder, and gently led me inside, making comforting noises. To make me more compliant?

He took me to a new room, with a table and chairs. Was this some sort of pre-breeding ritual for monsters?

The monster, who I decided to call Night, sat me down, and then walked away. I was even more confused when he came back with a plate with something on it. He set it in front of me, and stepped away, watching me.

There were two white oval-y things, with yellow centers, and two ribbons of a red-brown substance. I hesitantly picked up one of the strips, glancing at Night to see his reaction. When he didn't do anything, I bit it. After all, if something is on a plate, you eat it, because if someone owns a plate, they are rich, and you don't want to disrespect them.

The strip was tasty. It made my mouth burn a bit, but then dissolved into juicy goodness. I promptly stuffed both strips into my mouth, enamored by the intriguing food. Knowing that the strips were edible, I picked up a white thing.

The yellow bit popped, causing yellow goo to drip out of it. Surprised, I dropped the white thing. When the goo stopped flowing, I cautiously dipped my finger in it, and tasted it. I couldn't describe what it tasted like, but it was great. I bit off pieces of the white bit, devouring the delicious food, and then popped the second one.

After I had eaten all of the white parts, I tipped the plate, drinking down the yellow fluid, not wanting to waste a drop. When I was done, I wiped my mouth crudely and licked my fingers. I looked back at Night, and saw a surprised look on his face.

"oh, i'm sorry. did i do something wrong?" I asked, concerned. "oh no! was i supposed to offer to share with you?" I shrunk back in the chair, not wanting to seem defiant.

Night walked over to me, and...took the plate? Then he disappeared through the doorway again, leaving me absolutely confused.

\---

Sans didn't know what to do.

The human, who he was calling Raven after their black hair, didn't speak Monster, so they couldn't communicate. Sans didn't know where they had come from, or who they were, and hell, he didn't even know their gender!

Maybe he could teach them monster? That way, they could talk with one another.

That sounded like a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dusty: *wants to escape*  
> Sans: i'm watching you, human...always watching.


	5. Words and Worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't posted in a while, sorry!
> 
> Dusty's new name was originally Lark, but I felt it was too feminine for where I want this story to go, so I went with Robin instead.

Night came back into the table-room, plate-less, and sat in the chair next to me, turning them so that they faced each other.

Then he pointed to himself, and made a noise.

Confused, I raised an eyebrow. Gently, he took my hand and placed it on his chest, and made the noise again.

_Is it his name?_ I wrapped my tongue around the word, trying to mimic him. "saans?"

His ever-present grin got wider, and he nodded. I said it again. "sans."

A happy look on his face, he moved his hand over my chest, and said something. _Does he want my name?_

Thinking for a second, I realized that I didn't want to be 'Dusty the runaway breeder'. I wanted to be something new...

So I tested different syllables in my head, and came up with something I liked. "robin." Tapping my chest for emphasis, I said it again. "robin."

Sans nodded, testing it out. "robin?"

We spent a lot of time going over the basics of Sans's language. At the end, I knew how to greet someone, how to ask about something, and how to address people.

After, Sans pointed to himself again, and said, "hello, robin. i'm sans."

He had taught me how to respond to this, so I did, not wanting to disappoint him. "hello, sans. i'm robin." When I got it right, I smiled. Then I realized that it was my first smile since the cleaning time, which made me realize how thirsty I was.

Not knowing how to say 'thirsty', I took two fingers and tapped them on my throat, dragging them down while looking at Sans.

Seeming to get what I was trying to imply, he walked off to the other room, quickly returning with a cup of clear, un-dirty water.

It tasted good, not as good as the icier water from earlier, but good.

Quickly gulping it down, I turned back to Sans. He was pointing at himself again, saying "he."

Copying, I tapped his chest and said "he."

Sans tapped on my chest, similar to when he asked my name.

But I decided. If I could change names, why not be a male? So I answered. "he."

Sans nodded, and took the cup from me.

\---

So apparently, Robin was a guy. Sans was lightly surprised, but hid it. He had thought that he was a gal, with a chest similar to Toriel's, and long hair like Undyne's.

But whatever. Humans must be different.

Speaking of the other monsters, maybe Robin would like to meet them?

He'll have to ask.

\---

Sans brought back out another plate (or was it the same one?) with something on it. It seemed to be bread, but fluffier-looking, and with stuff between it. There were round red things, more of the strips, and lettuce!

Honored to have been presented with this much food in one day, I picked it up and took a bite. I didn't know what it tasted like, but it was really good, especially when I discovered the white sauce covering the top bread piece. Wondering what to call it, I used one of my new words. "what?" I said, gesturing to the food.

"sandwich." Sans said.

Nodding. I looked back at it. I didn't want to be rude, so I offered it to Sans. "sans sandwich?"

He shook his head. Then his eyes seemed to light up, and he left me again with the 'sandwich'.

I quickly ate the delicious food, and then got up, feeling adventurous.

Peeking around the doorway, I saw the main exit. Wanting to go back outside, I walked over to it, trying to be quiet.

Pulling it open, I drunk in the vibrant green hungrily. I went out, closing the door behind me, only planning to be out for little bit. When he gave me the language lessons, I trusted Sans a bit more, so I was going to come back so that I could be under his protection.

Darting out into the field around Sans's house, I giggled a bit. Outside felt nice! So different from the wasteland that I had trekked across to get here.

Quickly, I found more of those puff-things, laden with food. These ones were stabby, like the red bushes, but had black cones instead of red. Plucking them off, I tossed a few in my mouth. I puckered my lips as the tingly feeling overtook me, and squinted my eyes from it. So tingly!

Somehow, I was in a really good mood. Going a bit deeper into the pole-things, I noticed that the small poles were lower down. Low enough for me to grab, even, if I stretched. I noted it mentally.

I sensed that Sans might be worried if I disappeared, so I rushed back to his house.

He was waiting in the table-room, a pile of... _something_ colorful in his arms. The second he saw me, he dropped it on the table and approached me, a worried look in his eyes.

He started jabbering off, but I stopped him. "sans. i'm." I was trying to say 'I'm fine', but I didn't know how.

He just nodded, and turned back to the pile on the table. He motioned for me to take it, so I stepped forward to do so.

Then, I realized. They were clothes! Hopefully, he had gathered all the parts...

Rooting through to check, I made a second realization. There wasn't just one set, there were many! Curious, I pointed to what looked like it might be a shirt. "what?"

After identifying all of the clothing bits, I contemplated my options. In all of it, there were shirts, pants, dresses...and many other things that I couldn't describe. They were lots of colors, not just grey.

Not being able to choose, I started eliminating options. Immediately, I pushed aside anything grey, not wanting to be dressed in the drab color. Then I sorted through the shirts, eventually settling on a dark blue shirt that looked a bit tattered at the bottom. I decided that I liked it. For pants, I chose black ones.

Then I came upon the question: Where did I change? Obviously not in front of Sans, that was out of the question.

Sans had obviously thought of this, though, and guided me toward another room. It had an odd white seat, a white block with a dip in the top, a silver reflect-y thing, and what looked like an empty indoor pond.

Shutting the door, Sans left me with the clothes. Quickly stripping out of the rough grey clothes I had on, I stood naked in the room. I pulled on the blue-grey shirt, and immediately noticed how _soft_ it was. It felt like I had wrapped a cloud around myself! I noticed something new, a symbol on the front. It was a semi-circle, colored in reds and oranges, with an odd looking black creature in the center. Surrounding it were markings that I couldn't understand.

Shrugging, I slipped on the pants, and realized that they were _so nice_. They were even _softer_ than the shirt, and were loose around my legs. How was Sans able to afford these?! Was he the leader of his villages? Yes, that must be it.

Slipping out of the pond-room, I was met with Sans standing against the wall opposite me. Seeing me, he smiled brightly. "robin!" he went on to say something else I didn't understand.

Relieved that the monster liked it, I gave a bow to him, as the pants didn't allow me to curtsy. If he was a leader, I had to show some respect.

As soon as I did, he started saying something in a confused tone. Straightening back up from the bow, I saw that his head was cocked slightly, and an eye ridge was raised. Did he never appear to his people? Did they never bow to him?

I shook it off as him not realizing I would do that, and walked over to him. Tapping his chest, I said, "what?"

"me?" He said. "i'm a monster."

"mon-ster." I said.

He nodded, and took my hand, pulling me gently toward the front door. Getting an idea, I pointed at the wood slab. "what?"

"door."

Smiling, I stepped outside with Sans. "what sans and robin?" I waved my hand at the poles and stalks, trying to get my point across.

It seemed to work, because Sans waved me over to a pole. He then proceeded to point at me, and then ducked behind it. Then, he pointed at himself after stepping out into the open again, and covered his eyes and started saying things. "One, two, three..." he said.

It was then I realized what we were doing. I had missed playing Humans and Monsters! Before children in the village reached learning age, sometimes they would group up. One person would count to either ten or twenty, and the rest would hide. The 'Monster' would have to find the other kids, who were the 'Humans'.

Sans seemed to realize that I knew what he was talking about, so he pointed at me, and ducked behind the tree again. "you?" he said.

Nodding enthusiastically, I was practically quivering with excitement. Smiling more, Sans walked back up to the house.

As soon as I heard his soothing voice start to ring out, I sprinted into the poles. I had been the best in my village back when I wasn't sewing, so I was confident that I could win. Ducking under some rope-things, I spotted the low-hanging branches. Quickly climbing them until I was mostly concealed, I giggled, waiting for Sans.

\---

Sans nearly laughed at the excitement radiating off of Robin. He was so excited to play a simple game of Hide and Seek, and it was kind of adorable.

Finishing counting, Sans turned back around, half-expecting to find Robin in under a minute.

...And he did. He wasn't too far away from the house, and up in a tree. Honestly, with the dark clothing choices, it would have been a good spot, if it wasn't for Robin's giggling.

Robin's face fell slightly when he was found, but he quickly regained his excitement. It was Sans's turn to hide.

Normally, Sans was unfindable, but he went easy on Robin. He hid in a patch of tall reeds by a lake, making himself as small as possible.

Surprisingly, Robin didn't find him for at least five minutes, but pretty much exploded with joy when he did.

"what?" Robin asked, pointing to one of the reeds.

Sans chuckled. He was so curious! "reed."

Every time Robin learned a new word, his eyes sparkled. It was cute.

The next round, Robin lasted way longer. He hid in a blueberry bush, and seemed to have learned his lesson about giggling. Robin did come out scratched up, though.

They played for at least another hour, the most notable spots being Robin wrapped in vines against a tree and Sans covering his wings in leaves and disguising as a bush. He had a feeling he would be digging out leaves for at least a week.

It was then Papyrus got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so sorry for not posting in a while!
> 
> Love you all, fan-fic-tastic readers! <3


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